Bharadwaj moved to England from Bombay when she was twenty and had to modify her favorite dishes with available ingredients and in less time. She mastered the tricks and put them all in a cookbook, "Gourmet Indian in Minutes." Bharadwaj's 140 recipes range from salads like the wild mango and coconut; soups; fish in mustard sauce, with chutney or curry; lamb in meatballs or caramelized with potato curry; vegetables, chutneys and desserts. At the end, Bharadwaj includes menus for Indian holiday meals.
The book is attractive, and a nice introduction to Indian food. If you don't have the required staples, it's going to take an upfront investment in your pantry, but the author uses enough of the ingredients in enough recipes to justify the cost. --
Richmond Times Dispatch, August 2008Bhumichitr (Gourmet Thai in Minutes) and Bharadwaj each create a
cook book on their native food. Both use recipes that are quick, offering basic directions that are easy to follow for most cooks. Recipes are highlighted with colorful pictures, and cultural tidbits are sprinkled throughout the text. Both authors offer over 100 recipes that give one a taste of each cuisine (including appetizers, main dishes, desserts, and drinks), with such tempting dishes as Bharadwaj's Lamb in Cashew Sauce and Bhumichitr's Green Beef Curry. In the introduction of each book, the author talks about ingredients and techniques that are specific to each culture. Bharadwaj arranges her recipes by ingredient (e.g., eggs, lentils, lamb), while Bhumichitr arranges his recipes by dish (e.g., curries, noodles, rice). Bharadwaj's recipes require a few more trips to specialty food stores, but overall the ingredients in each are fairly common in most of the United States. Both titles are highly recommended for most public libraries. --
Library Journal, April 2008The flavors of India have become a real part of the stew of American cuisine, and that's a good thing. Vibrant flavors, expert blending of spices, and clever uses of simple, affordable ingredients - there's a lot to learn. Gourmet Indian would be a handy book for someone who likes to give dinner parties with contemporary recipes that taste sophisticated but are easy to prepare. --
Charlotte Observer, February 2008With all its complicated spice and sauce combinations,
Indian cuisine has long been thought of as a time-consuming venture. Monisha Bharadwaj, a food writer and former judge on
Food Network's "Iron Chef America," is out to prove that dishes from the Asian subcontinent can be just as quick and easy as any other country's fare. --
The Record, August 2008
Reader Reviews
My initial skepticism about cooking Indian food in minutes was quickly dispelled after making some of the taste-bud-popping recipes in this cookbook. I'm from the old school (Madhur Jaffrey cooking style of Indian food) which makes no apologies for long and elaborate recipes. So I had to read Gourmet Indian in Minutes by Monisha Bharadwaj from cover to cover before I tried even one recipe. I fell in love with the pared-down versions of classic Indian dishes. The photographs are the best I've seen in any cookbook of any food style: elegantly enticing, the best mingling of colors, attractive to the point of seductive, literally demanding you to taste this alluring dish. Monisha Bharadwaj approaches her cooking with high standards recognizable in all the recipes of her book. The dishes must be authentic in taste, nutritional, quick to make, and beautiful to the eye. I come from long line of cooks who, unfortunately, paid little attention to the latter. I now love to make my food look beautiful since I have discovered that food tastes even better if it looks enchanting. Bharadwaj is a master at marrying food with beauty. Make no mistake, these dishes are delicious and will satisfy your demand for authentic Indian food. I delighted in Tamater Mahal, a salad of "tomato castles" that very much reminds me of our Italian tomato salad, a favorite with my family. Bharadwaj includes an extensive section of lamb dishes such as "Lamb in Cashew Sauce", "Meatballs with Fennel", and a delicious appetizer of "Skewered Lamb in Spices" which is heavenly. When it comes to Indian cuisine, I have gravitated to the vegetarian dishes, though not exclusively. I would consider myself not a fan of tomato soup, but I loved the "Tomatoche Saar", a spicy tomato soup. This recipe indicates that I'll eat anything if you put enough spices and flavors in it! The Vegetable section and the Lentils, Beans, and Seeds sections were my overal favorites. I could wax ecstatically over the "Chole Panjim" (chickpeas in blazing red coconut curry), Beans Tikki (potato cakes topped with red beans), etc., but I'll spare you my gushing. You get the point. Suffice it to say, this section on pulses has some of the tastiest -- and quickest -- Indian dishes I have ever tried. To get the most out of Gourmet Indian in Minutes, it is imperative you read the introduction and stock your pantry with Bharadwaj's list of spices, pastes, and food items. She offers shortcuts on various pastes and spices that will cut down the preparation time. If you do not adhere to these helpful hints, it is unlikely you will find the recipes quick to make. Follow Bharadwaj's helpful pointers in the Introduction, and the recipes that follow will be easy and completed in minutes.
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